Happy For You (Rewrite)
by shimmeringswift
Summary: "I'm happy for you." Robin's words would soon come to be her biggest mistake. They would break her heart and might even cause her to lose her mind. They were one of her biggest mistakes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I AM NOT DEAD. I know, I suck. The wait has been far too long. I've had a lot of shit going on in my life that I really don't want to get into right now. So, here's the basic rewrite. Mainly just switching everything over to 3rd POV for now. Enjoy.**

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" _I'm happy for you."_

Those were the words she had said that had started everything. Her heartbreak, mistakes, misery… it was all just a downhill slope from there. She didn't know why she said them. In fact, she meant to tell the truth. To tell him her feelings for him. But she didn't. Something in the pit of her stomach had stopped her.

She loved him. She loved him with all of her heart, but she didn't want him to love her. He was happy though, and she wasn't going to be the one to stand in the way of that.

She felt like an idiot. A nervous and heartbroken idiot. She couldn't see straight around him, why couldn't she have said that? Or, told him she loved him? She could have even cut his rant about his fiancée short with a kiss. But, she didn't. She didn't and now she had lost the only man she had ever loved.

She couldn't believe her naivety and foolishness. She had let herself fall in love with him. But, in her defense, he had given her mixed signals. She hadn't been sure what to make of them. It was still her fault though. She should have put up more walls, or guarded her heart, or fell in love with someone else.

Things were never that easy, though.

Her name is Robin, and here is the story of how four words brought her whole world to its knees.

~!~!~

It had been a good day. It was the best one she'd had in a while. Now that the war with Plegia had ended, most of the days were light and calm. Even still, today was by far the best day in months. There was sunshine lighting up everyone's faces, songbirds were singing, Virion had been declaring his love for Sully like normal, but today was particularly more spectacular and Sully didn't even seem to mind as much as normal. Robin and Chrom had been teasing each other relentlessly whenever they got a moment's rest from their busy schedules.

It was a perfect day.

As Robin walked through the palace courtyard where they had met Marth for the first time, she stretched her arms above her head. The sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze to cool off what the sun made hot. It was a beautiful day best spent outside. Although, it did look like there might be a chance of rain. That was alright. After all, even with the rain, it would still be a gorgeous day.

Robin decided she would see if Chrom cared to spar with her. She hadn't gotten in her exercise for the day, and if he had free time, he was almost always willing to. Plus, he probably needed the break anyway. He had been helping her train with the sword. She hadn't been the best at it and realized, if something were to happen where she was unable to use her magic, then she would be useless. When she had asked him, Chrom had eagerly agreed to teach her.

Walking back to the inside of the castle, she frowned. It seemed a little quiet. The castle was never truly busy, yes, but it was still very empty today. Robin swiftly braided her hair around into a ponytail and caught a small piece of the silver-teal hair. She tucked it back into place and secured it with a pin she kept in her shorts pocket. She had started keeping pins with her because in the past six months, her hair had grown a decent length and she had yet to cut it.

Her coat had been left in her room, seeing as it was too warm outside to be wearing one. In fact, most at the castle had left their robes in their chambers for more comfortable clothing. Most, like Robin, had chosen to wear shorts and tunics. Smiling, she found herself humming a sweet love song she had often heard in the city surrounding the palace. It was a good day, so why not hum a happy song?

There was practically a skip in Robin's steps when she entered the corridor. She had to stop walking to let her eyes adjust to the darker lighting. After her eyes adjusted, she looked around the corridor as she continued walking down it. This was very strange. This part of the castle was almost always busy at this time of day. Had she missed something?

Was there a meeting that she had forgotten about? A jolt of panic rushed through her. The last thing she needed was to be late for a meeting. She picked up her pace and began to run through the corridors to find Chrom. If she was late, it would look bad, not only on herself, but on Chrom. He would be frowned upon for recruiting a forgetful tactician. That would be horrifying and shameful, for both of them.

As she was running, Robin slammed into someone and fell back onto her rear. She exclaimed, "My apologies!" at the same time as the person who had knocked her down.

"Chrom?" "Robin?"

They both laughed and the prince extended his hand to her. Gratefully, she took it and pulled herself to her feet. For the brief moment their hands were touching, Robin felt butterflies twirl around in her stomach. She let her hand fall back to her side. "I was just looking for you. The corridors are awfully empty, did I forget about some important meeting?"

Chrom chuckled, which was a melodious sound to her ears, and _she was the cause of it._ He shook his head. "No. You didn't. Don't worry. And, I was looking for you too."

A faint red appeared on his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking away. "Do you, um, would you mind taking a walk with me? So we can talk?"

She smiled and nodded with an exhale. He was so cute when he was flustered. Although, she couldn't help wondering what all of this was about. "It's a beautiful day. Why waste it inside?"

He glanced at her and smiled. "Exactly."

Shaking her head, Robin laughed a little as they began to walk back outside. "I can't believe I actually thought I was late for a meeting."

"Well, you do have a habit of forgetting when the meetings are." he teased.

"Hey!" Robin bumped him playfully. "As a matter of fact, most the time I am working when the meeting comes around. I lose track of time. I never forget."

"Uh huh. Sure."

She rolled her eyes and stopped in the middle of the courtyard, waiting for the prince to as well. He did when he noticed she had stopped. Robin had been running it over in her head what he wanted to talk to her about. Normally, the only time that they talked privately was about war strategies and tragic news, or even just something he felt he could confide in her. The duo would discuss almost anything and everything in front of the Shepherds, though. Why would Chrom feel the need to pull her aside like this?

 _Unless…_ Robin thought, biting her lip. _Does Chrom love me?_ She shook her head, cutting off that strand of hope. _No. He loves Sumia, remember?_

Her spirits fell, but she brushed it off, looking up at Chrom. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, actually, I have exciting news." His eyes lit up just thinking about it, Robin noticed. A broad smile stretched across the prince's face.

 _Gosh, he's so perfect._

She quirked an eyebrow and leaned forward a little bit. Curiosity made its way onto her features. Suspense was always her favorite type of book to read, but in her life she had already had her fair share of it. Robin made a motion with her hand, telling him to get on with it and share already. Share he did.

"I'm getting married."

Robin's hand flew up to cover the gasp from her mouth. Her eyes widened with surprise and she attempted to swallow the lump building in her throat. Her heart began to pound in her chest and she had to fight to keep her breathing normal. She forced a smile onto her face and removed her hand. "W-Wow, Chrom. Congratulations!"

"Thanks. Sumia and I are really excited." Chrom was beaming and she couldn't help feeling as though someone had just split her in half. She resisted the urge to clutch at her chest and took a deep breath.

"I'm happy for you. Do you know the date yet?" Robin heard herself asking. "And do you need help planning?"

Chrom placed a hand on her shoulder. "That would be great Robin. I'm sure Sumia would love it too. And yeah. The wedding is in a month."

Fighting every urge to turn and run away, she nodded. "I have some work to do, so I should go. But, I would love to talk to both of you about planning at a later date. I'm happy for you, Chrom. Congratulations. You really deserve this."

She forced the words out before turning and walking away. She had meant the words. He did deserve it, but she was still upset. Robin needed to get out of his line of sight. She walked into the corridor and sped up into a jog, then soon a run. The tears silently streamed down her face. This was worse than any battle wound she had ever received. She couldn't just take some medicine and heal. Nothing had ever felt like this.

Her heartbeat drowned out the sounds of everything except the words replaying in her ears.

" _I'm getting married!"_

Tears were blurring her vision, but not enough to keep her from navigating her way through the palace. Eventually, she burst out one of the doors into another courtyard. Her favorite courtyard. She spent almost all her time in the small garden there, or under the trees while reading, or sitting on the edge of the fountain. She took her solitude in the trees today. She collapsed to her knees next to a tree.

She tucked herself into the nook of the tree and began to sob, biting her hand to keep them quiet. There had been so many times when Robin had pictured herself marrying Chrom. But, now, she knew that would never happened. Sumia and Chrom would be happy together and she wouldn't ever be anything more than a tactician (and now a wedding planner) to him. Just someone to do him favors.

 _Maybe I should leave. Go somewhere he wouldn't suspect._ She thought and her shoulders began to shake. _Like Plegia. He would never guess Plegia. I could start a new life there._

Robin shook her head. _No, I would miss everyone too much._

She wished she could hate Sumia. But, she couldn't. The other girl was kind and tried her best at everything. She was sweet and wished the best for everyone. No, Robin couldn't hate her, no matter how much she wanted to. It was miserable.

Droplets of water began to land on her skin, occasionally. She rotated and leaned back against the tree, letting the cold water hit her. The rain suited how she felt. It probably wasn't the best to sit in the rain (she would probably get sick), but this way, no one would find her and ask her what had happened, or what she was doing outside.

 _I should have told Chrom how I felt before he started courting Sumia, but I didn't. Now I'm miserable, and I'm the only one to blame._

"Robin?" A voice rang from above her. She glanced up, rubbing her eyes. She didn't care who it was, but she let the tears clear from her eyes so she could see. It was Ricken. "What happened? You're soaked!"

The alarm in his tone grew as he finished his sentences. He knelt next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Robin leaned into the touch and shook her head. Her voice broke and sounded lost when she weakly said, "He's getting married, Ricken."

His eyes softened. Concern was clear on his features, but he didn't push for details. Robin was relieved he knew that she meant Chrom. A few of the Shepherds ('a few' consisting of: Maribelle, Ricken, Lissa, Olivia, and a couple of others) were aware that she was in love with Chrom. She never confessed it to them, but the group that knew had each found her worried, upset, or stressed about the prince. The truth had just spilled out on accident in most cases.

With a quiet sigh, Ricken moved a hand to support between her shoulder blades. "Let's get you inside. We'll do our best to keep you from getting sick."

She nodded, and Ricken scooped her up, bridal style. Robin rested her head against his collarbone and curled into the warmth of his chest. He had gotten a lot taller, and a lot stronger over the years she had known him. It was strange to her. She used to be the one taking care of Ricken in the time past, now it was the other way around.

 _I'll let him take care of me this time._ She thought and closed her eyes. Her hand grasped Ricken's tunic as he carried her out of the rain. The thought occurred to her to ask him what he had been doing in the rain, but she decided to do it at a later date. Softly, Ricken said to her, "After I take you to your room, I'll Maribelle up to help you change. I know you wouldn't if I left you to do it yourself."

As Robin considered it, she was a little surprised to realize that he was right. She probably wouldn't have changed. Instead, she would have fallen asleep in her wet clothing. Gently, Ricken reached the hand that had been around her shoulders to pull her hair free from the ribbon that held it there. Then, she opened her eyes to study his facial features.

He certainly had matured in the past years. A great difference from the young boy who had joined the Shepherds. No, now Ricken was a young man. His jaw line had sharpened and so had his cheekbones. They had become more defined. But, his eyes were still gentle and held that childish mischief. He was seventeen, marking the three years it had been since she had met him. Robin herself was only nineteen (at least that's what she assumed, judging by her body structure and such other things), but she felt old when she reminisced.

With a sad smile, she let her eyes flutter closed again. The movement of Ricken walking and carrying her was soothing. It helped the tension seep from her shoulders. In fact, this wasn't the first time Robin had been carried by him. She had fallen asleep many times during late night study sessions and woke up in her room.

"Ricken?" a familiar voice rang through her ears and Robin didn't bother to open her eyes. She could tell it belonged to Chrom. "What happened to Robin? Is she alright? She's soaked."

"I think she's alright." Ricken replied. "I found her asleep under an oak tree in the courtyard. I'm surprised the rain didn't wake her up though."

"All right." There was a pause. "Just make sure she's tended to and doesn't get sick." As an afterthought, he muttered, "She exhausts herself enough as it is, last thing we need is her waking up with a fever."

A gentle hand rested against Robin's damp forehead. When it was gone, she could still feel a lingering bit of warmth. The sound of retreating footsteps filled her ears and she opened her eyes, looking up at Ricken. He continued walking and carried her upstairs to her room.

After a few minutes, they arrived at her room. Somehow, Ricken managed to get the door open, slightly surprising the tactician in his arms. She noted that he actually closed the door with his foot. He crossed the room over to her bed and set her down. She turned to lay on her back and he went to light a few candles in her room. As he did, he spoke to her. "Just wait there, all right? I'll go find Maribelle, and send her up."

"Okay." was the only response he got. When he finished lighting the candles, he disappeared out the door.

Sighing to herself, Robin went over the events of earlier. She had found out the man she was in love with was getting married to a different woman. A pang went through her chest. She was foolish for letting herself fall in love with him, that she knew, but she didn't regret it. Not one bit. It made the sweet moments they'd had even sweeter.

She raised her hand above her head and into her line of sight. She stared at her fingers and pulled the glove off of her hand. The gloves were old and worn out as well as soaked. She tossed it to the other side of the bed and stared at the mark on her hand. It was strange symbol and she couldn't help wondering where she had received it. It almost looked like a set of eyes, except six of them, all connected. She'd had it for as long as she could remember. Which was only a few years, but that wasn't the point.

She was insecure about it. That's why she had started to wear gloves. It was clearly not a holy symbol. It appeared to be demonic. How could the soldiers ever had trusted her if she bore the mark of a demon? She had also hidden it because she often found herself staring at it when it was hard to focus. It was a constant reminder of things that she didn't know about.

Her hand fell back by her side as she heard the door open and close again. A gentle voice called out to her, "Robin?"

"Over here." She replied quietly. Maribelle came into her vision and helped her to her feet.

"My goodness, you're soaked to the bone!" The other girl examined her carefully. She guided Robin over to her changing screen and then began to rummage around for her night clothes. Maribelle seemed to have finally found them and held them out to Robin. "Now, let me help you get changed."

Robin had a hard time pulling off the clingy wet clothing, so she bunched up her tunic at the bottom and wiggled her way out of it. Once it hit her shoulders, Maribelle tugged it off the rest of the way. Robin made a motion with her hand, silently saying she could do the rest. She watched the other girl disappear to the other side of the screen, passing a comment about how she would be turning down Robin's bed.

Her shorts were dropped unceremoniously on the floor. Robin repeated the action with her small clothes. She reached over and grabbed the night clothes. She pulled the tunic on, buttoning it in place loosely. It was a gentleman's garment, but she found it comfortable. The pants to go with it were gentleman's as well.

As soon as she was dressed, she came out from behind the screen and sat on the edge of her bed, where Maribelle was waiting with a hairbrush. Robin let her hair get brushed and Maribelle scoff at her choice of night clothes. "I cannot believe you wear such things to bed."

"No one sees them." Robin pointed out.

"I suppose, but even so!" That got her to smile a little. Maribelle was being kinder than normal, but still was doing her best to make Robin smile.

Maribelle finished brushing the water out of her hair with a soft sigh. "I suppose this is as dry as we'll get it for now. Get some rest and I will be back to check on you soon."

She rested her hand on Robin's forehead to check for a temperature. After deducing she didn't have a fever, Maribelle went to blow out the candles Ricken had lit. She watched Maribelle blow them out before laying down in bed. The last thing she heard that night was the soft click of her door closing.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: Goodness gracious, I love all of my readers. Thanks so much for the encouragement. I am so sorry about the wait on this story. Really. I had lost it's direction and I'm still not certain on where it's going, but I love you guys so much that I'm going to keep rewriting it. I will warn you, at chapter 9/10 I will update both versions of the story, but it's going to be the same chapter. Does that make sense?**

 **Annnnyyyways, enjoy. :)**

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The next morning was miserable for Robin. The sun was shining in her face, and she could hear the birds outside chirping loudly. She groaned in protest to the sounds and brightness. She curled into the pillow she was spooning and hid her face in it. Vaguely, she heard the door to her room open, but couldn't bring herself to get up out of bed.

Footsteps filled her ears and a cold wrist was placed on her forehead. A soft voice followed it, "She's got a fever."

"Damn." that was Chrom's voice. The wrist on her forehead was replaced with another one. Groggily, Robin opened her eyes and peered up at the prince. He offered her a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Awful." She replied after a groan. A heartbeat later, she softly got out, "Mm… Chrom…?"

"Yes?" was the soft response she got. A goofy smile slid onto her face.

 _Say it. You can say it._ "I love you."

"R-Robin, you're delirious with fever. You don't know what your saying." The prince fumbled in response.

"Yes, I do…" She murmured, sleepily. He sighed and crossed over to speak quietly to Maribelle. Robin's goofy smile returned. _Oh, I didn't know she was here, but she looks lovely today._ A giggle bubbled from her mouth and she spoke her thoughts aloud. Of course, she was ignored.

"Lissa is taking care of her today, am I correct?" Chrom asked, rubbing his temples.

Maribelle nodded, her blonde curls shifting with the movement. "Yes. Between Ricken, myself, and darling Lissa, we should be able to take care of her. She's delirious, though. It changes the difficulty level quite a bit. Depending on her delirium, it may be done with ease, or quite the fair amount of difficulty."

"I'm not delirious!" The tactician called from the bed, her words slurring together.

"Yes, indeed. I'll believe that when you can stand on your own." Maribelle turned back to Chrom. "We'll be all right. I'll send for you if she gets worse."

"Thank you." Chrom nodded. "I'll come visit again this afternoon. But, I must be going now."

"Bye bye, Chrom." Robin waved the arm that was tucked under her pillow, sending it across the room. She caught a sigh from Maribelle sigh as the prince stepped towards her. In a brotherly action, he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Recover soon, Robin." In a single moment, he was gone and out the door.

Maribelle grabbed the pillow from off the floor and used it to help the other girl sit up. The pillow was tucked behind Robin's lower back to support her. A potion was handed to her and she took a sip before making a face. "That tastes gross!"

"It will make you feel better. Drink it." Maribelle motioned with her hand for her to drink it quickly.

With a frown, Robin downed the drink and handed the flask to her friend. She shifted and curled up against the blankets. A soft, tired voice came from her, "He's so-" she yawned. "Perfect."

"To each his own, Robin." Maribelle replied in a whisper that Robin was unable to catch. Clearing her throat, the noble girl said, "Now, get some sleep. Someone will be here with you when you wake."

Robin nodded and let her eyes slide shut. She fell asleep with in minutes.

~!~

The tactician was in and out of sleep all day. The few times she had woken up, someone had always been by her side. Normally, it was Ricken or Lissa. Occasionally, Maribelle would drop in too. But, this time she woke up, it was none other than the prince who was by her side. He was asleep in a chair beside her bed. Exhaustion crept over his features. Bags were starting to form under his eyes.

Robin sighed and pushed herself into a sitting position. She rotated herself to face Chrom, her legs crossing over each other to form a crisscross position. She studied him carefully with a slight smile. It was kind of him to come and see her. Overall, she was feeling better. She was almost certain that she would be fine to take care of herself.

A cough pulled up from her chest. One cough turned into two, and two turned into a coughing fit. Her chest rattled and pain shot through her diaphragm. A strong hand settled on her back and a goblet of water was pushed into her hand. She managed to lift the water to her lips, drinking it slowly as her coughing went away. The cool liquid soothed her throat. She could tell it wasn't actually cold, leading her to assume her throat was raw.

When the goblet was taken from her, she breathlessly nodded her thanks to her commander. He sat down on the bed next to her and touched her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Mm, hard to say." Robin managed through a yawn. She reached up and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm still out of it."

He chuckled. "At least you're coherent."

"Did I…" She began hesitantly. "Did I say anything?"

The tactician recalled her confessing her love to Chrom and a blush rose to her cheeks. She wasn't certain if it was a dream or if she had really said something of the sorts. She shuffled her feet a little as she waited for Chrom's answer. He shook his head, a light pink staining his cheeks. "Nothing I recall."

 _He's lying._ Was the first thought that shot through her mind. She bit her lip and awkwardly tried to change the subject. She looked towards the window. It was early morning, she guessed. After all, it was still dark outside. "What time is it?"

Chrom attempted to hide a yawn and failed. "It's probably one of the early hours in the morning, before sunrise, obviously. It should be around three."

"In the morning?" She wasn't surprised that she was up at this hour, often times Robin woke at strange hours and couldn't sleep. She had gotten to know many of the Shepherds that way. Although, the prince was one of the few who didn't know of this little quirk. "You look tired. You should go to bed, I'll be fine for the rest of the night on my own."

"I'm fine." Though he shook his head and refused, Chrom's eyelids drooped a bit.

Robin stood, somewhat wearily and crossed her arms over her chest. "Chrom, I'm not going to bed until you do."

"Robin…" His tone was warning, but she ignored it.

Putting her nose in the air, she said, "No. Go. To. Bed. Chrom, it will only be a few hours. I can manage on my own until Maribelle, Ricken, or Lissa come to check on me."

Chrom stood and took a step towards her. "You're really not giving me a choice here."

"What are you talking abo-" Suddenly, she was scooped off of her feet and tossed over her commander's shoulder like a sack of flour. "Chrom, _no._ You need sleep too!"

Robin was laid on her bed, but was quicker than Chrom and pulled him down onto the bed as well. She rolled over on top of him, straddling his waist. "You need sleep. And I'm not moving until you agree to get some."

"That won't be a problem." The prince grabbed her hips and shifted his weight so that he was easily able to flip them. She groaned in protest.

"No, Chrom." she protested. Robin leaned up and grabbed Chrom's shoulders to use leverage to flip them once again. It worked. Well, sort of. Instead of the prince ending up under her, they ended up on their sides with their faces inches away from each other. Her lips were pressed against his.

Quickly, Robin jerked away from him and clenched her eyes shut. She didn't want to see his reaction. That would make matters worse. After all, he was engaged. She bit her lip as his blank voice filled her ears. "I… I'll go get some sleep."

She heard him began to leave. The door opened and the sound of his footsteps halted. "And, Robin? You should too."

Robin couldn't trust her words, so she nodded. When the door slammed shut, she opened her eyes. She sat up and grabbed her pillow, holding it in her lap with disbelief. They had kissed. It was difficult to believe. She wished it had been an illusion because where she was supposed to be happy, or excited, this was somehow worse.

Tears filled her eyes and she closed them tightly, burying her face in the pillow in her arms. She pressed her fingers to her lips, still feeling the warmth that had been there. It was going to be a long night.

~!~

It was three days after the kiss that Robin was up and walking again. It had gotten bad the second day after, her fever had spiked. From what she was told, they had feared she wouldn't wake up. Although, she fine now. It certainly was relieving to be able to be out of bed and stretching her legs. She had to take breaks during the day, but that was because she wasn't quite herself yet. Her breaks were never more than twenty minutes because she had a wedding to plan and things to do.

Upon her arrival in the dining hall, she was greeted cheerfully. They were all relieved that she was all right. Many of the Shepherds came up to her to tell her such, after all, they had feared for her life. She had also been told that if she needed anything, to call on anyone of them whenever she needed to. It was a weight off of her chest to know how much they all cared about her, though, she probably wouldn't take them up on their offers.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." A warm hand placed itself on her shoulder and she turned around with a smile. Ricken offered her a concerned smile. "You still need to take it easy though, Robin."

"Of course, I'll do my best. But, with the wedding this soon, I need to get planning. I just spent a week of my planning time in bed." Robin nodded.

Ricken inclined his head slightly to the side. His gaze was piercing, daring her to make one wrong move or say the wrong thing. He would put her back on bed rest in an instant. His voice held a warning tone. "Robin…"

She shook her head. "Ricken, I'm fine."

He sighed and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain." With smile, she stood and took her dishes with her. Robin dropped them by the kitchen before she headed back up to her chambers. As she sat at her desk, she sighed. Fortunately, her charade had fooled everyone.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned back into her chair. Her heart was racing and her body felt like someone had lead bricks in her feet. Robin rubbed her eyes and attempted to slow her heartbeat by taking slow, deep breath. Thankfully, it worked. She straightened herself out and picked up her quill from the desk. It was time to get to work on the wedding planning.

It seemed like hours were passing, though Robin knew better. It hadn't even been two hours since she started planning. Her quill scratched on the paper as she wrote down a list of things she would need to go over with Chrom and Sumia, as well as Levvia, the royal tailor. _Dresses, flowers, colors,_ she was careful that her handwriting was neat as she jotted down everything that was needed. _Not to forget dance lessons._ She added them to the list with a slight laugh. _I know for certain Chrom has no idea of how to dance, and Sumia, well…Let's hope she won't fall on her face._

"Good morning, Robin! I heard you were sick. How are you feeling?" Looking up, Robin smiled at the Pegasus Knight who had entered her room. Sumia walked to the desk and showed her a flower. She carefully tucked it into the braid in the tactician's hair, near her ear. "I thought this might help you focus. They say that Retrubi* blossoms bring strong concentration and soothe the soul."

A bubble of laughter came from Robin's throat. She reached her fingers up to brush over the petals of the flower. "Thank you, I appreciate it. And, I'm feeling a lot better. How has your morning been? You seem to be in a better mood than normal. Not that you're ever in a bad mood, you just seem… Cheerful."

"My morning has been spectacular." She was all but glowing, Robin noticed. Something good must have happened. "I don't know why, but there's an overwhelming feeling that today is going to be a fantastic day."

"I'm glad to hear that." Robin set her quill down on her desk. It wasn't her usual charcoal pencil, but she had wanted it to look neat, so quill and ink was what she went with. She stood and grabbed a chair from the small table in the other corner of her room. After placing it by the desk, she took her seat again. "Come join me. If you're free at the moment, would you like to go over some wedding details?"

Sumia sat down in the chair. "I would love to!"

"Good." She picked up the quill again and pulled out a new sheet of parchment. "Now, let's discuss decorations."

~!~!~

That night, Robin woke up coughing. It wasn't loud, in fact, it was the opposite. Her coughs were quiet, grinding against her throat with each one. She placed her hand over her chest as a particularly harsh round of coughs took over. She doubled over and felt around with her free hand for her nightstand. After a feet pats of the air, she hit the wood and moved her hand along the surface of it. Robin managed to find her flask filled with water and brought it to herself. She took off the lid and raised it to her lips, calming her coughs down a bit.

A wave of nausea hit her like a brick. She stumbled to her feet and rushed to the window. She gripped the edge of it, leaning over. After throwing up out the window, she glanced down at her clothes, wincing. Gross. She needed to change into something clean. Carefully, she fumbled around for her fire tome. When she located it on her desk, she used it to light a candle. Now that she could see, she examined how dirty her clothes were. Robin inhaled sharply. She knew that bile could be many colors, but red shouldn't be included in them.

Her heart raced as she pulled the night clothes off and dropped them on the floor. Something was seriously wrong. Her hands tightened on her clean tunic as she tugged it over her head. Robin quickly shuffled into a pair of pants and picked up the dirty clothes. She dropped them into an old wooden basket she kept her dirty laundry in. After she was clothed, she went back to the window to double check that she was indeed throwing up blood.

 _You'll be fine._ She coaxed herself, walking towards the door of her room. She needed fresh air. _The best medical in all of Ylisse is here. You just need to look into what illness you have. Worst case scenario, you leave and get treatment somewhere that has the right kind._

She sighed, stretching her arms as she walked through the corridors. Robin took her time, embracing the quiet of it all. The castle was always bustling with noise during the day, but at night, all she saw was a few patrolling guards. It was peaceful and calm. She had never been one for a lot of noise, unless it was war, it seemed. The silence of the halls was relaxing.

As she walked into the courtyard, she could only hear crickets chirping. With a smile, she made her way around the small garden in the courtyard before taking a seat on the grass. The warm summer breeze blew through her hair, pushing it back away from her face. The smell of the air was sweet, a mixture of summer flowers and trees. She wasn't sure if the air could smell warm, but it did. A vague memory played at the back of her mind.

" _Wow, this is the castle? It's beautiful." Robin spun in the courtyard, looking around at the gardens and trees. She spread her arms wide, laughing at the cool evening air whooshing around her. She turned back around to face Chrom who was smiling at her._

" _So, you like it?"_

" _It's amazing. I've never been somewhere like this before." Her spins slowed to a stop and she let out a content sigh. "It's… wonderful."_

 _Chrom came closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Good. I wouldn't imagine my best friend staying anywhere else."_

 _Robin had stopped and turned her head to face him, a question in her eyes. "I'm your best friend?"_

 _Her words were soft, surprised, and Chrom's eyes seemed to widen a little at her question. His hand was warm on her shoulder when he answered in her in a gentle tone. "Of course you are, Robin. How could you think otherwise?"_

Smiling fondly at the memory, Robin combed a hand through her hair. That memory had seemed had been so long ago. She twirled the messy strands between her forefinger and her thumb, twisting it. It had been when she had first truly moved into the palace, after the war had finally ended. A content sigh left her lips as she stretched her legs out and leaned back on her hands.

Footsteps echoing off of stone filled her ears and she turned her head to look. It took her a few moments before anyone entered her sight, but when they did she saw it was Chrom. Much like her, he was disheveled and in his night clothes. She smiled. He turned and began coming in her direction, though he didn't see her.

It took him a few more steps before he noticed her. He tipped his head and quirked an eyebrow, concern flitted across his features. "Robin? What are you doing out here at this hour?"

"You know, I could ask you the same thing." She smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just couldn't sleep. I had a few things on my mind and thought some fresh air would help."

"I couldn't sleep either." the prince sat down next to her with a slight smile.

She watched him as a comfortable silence settled between them. Robin leaned forward a bit to see him better under the coating of the night's sky. The moonlight reflected off of his hair in such a nice way, she thought to herself. After biting her lip for a moment, she spoke up. "Not much longer until the big day. Are you nervous?"

He looked out at the night sky. His voice was soft and quiet, but there was something else there too. Something that the tactician couldn't place her finger on. "Yeah. I am." Chrom turned to face her. "But in an excited way."

Their hands brushed in the grass and they were close enough that they could speak in whispers. Chrom brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Their foreheads touched when he spoke next. "This is one of the only times I've seen you with your hair down… I like it."

"Yeah." She whispered, breathless. "I do too."

Chrom's hand slid down to the nape of her neck. Gently his lips brushed across hers. Robin's eyes closed and she kissed him back. The kiss was sweet, and perfect as could be, she knew. A warm feeling settled into her stomach, although later that feeling would be replaced with a chilling cold when she remembered something important.

She shouldn't be doing this. Chrom was engaged to another woman. This would never work.


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: double update! yay!**

* * *

Robin liked the kiss. Hell, she loved it. It had been passionate and gentle… the only way for her to describe it was flawless. Chrom's lips had fit perfectly against hers. It was almost as though it was meant to be.

Her hand cupped his on her cheek and she leaned into the caress as their lips pressed together. Their fingers intertwined in the grass and it was amazing.

That was until everything came to a screeching halt. They both recoiled as if the other burned. What had they been doing? Robin got to her feet and Chrom got to his. She pressed her fingers against her lips where the warmth from his mouth lingered. It was crazy, but she wanted it again. She would have given anything to have that moment again.

"Wow, that…" She started, but trailed off, unsure how to finish.

Chrom shook his head. Even though it was midnight, she could see the regret and anger in his eyes. A pang jolted through her chest and she fought the tears threatening to rise to her eyes. "That is never going to happen again. Are we clear?"

She shoved her feelings down and forced an awkward smile. "As crystal. Never again."

 _Who cares anyway? It was only a kiss._ Her brain pressed her, though, her the pain in her heart reminded her with a cold brutality, _You do, stupid…_

She knelt to pick up her cup from the grass. Robin straightened out and looked at Chrom once more before turning around. "Chrom?"

"Hm?" was his response from behind her.

 _I love you._ "Be sure to get some sleep."

~!~

The next morning, Robin purposely wore her hair up in two braids that lead into a high ponytail. She had even attempted to do everything she could to flatten down the one strand that was too short to do anything with. Instead, it laid on her forehead. She put on a touch of makeup and the best façade she could.

Cheerfully, she walked into the dining hall and joined the others for breakfast. She had planned to sit with Sumia to talk about decorations a bit more, but the Pegasus Knight had already left to go get her dress tailored. Which meant she was stuck sitting across from Chrom.

Politely, she greeted him. He returned it, though it came out sounding awkward. He wouldn't even glance her direction all throughout the meal. A weight settled on to her shoulders and she pushed her breakfast around with her fork, no longer hungry. After a moment, she spoke when a thought came to mind, "Chrom?"

"Yes?" He briefly glanced up at her and their eyes met. Her breath caught in her throat as the memories from their kisses flooded back into her mind. It was followed by an intense chest pain when she recalled the expression that had been in Chrom's eyes the night before.

"Well, it's just that you're getting married in a month and haven't even had an engagement ball." She pointed out.

He pursed his lips. "I suppose not."

She pushed a smile onto her face. "I was thinking we could do it on Friday, if that's alright. I can see if anyone has plans."

"I'll talk things over with Sumia. Then we can start planning." He nodded.

Robin stood, grabbing her untouched plate and walked off to the kitchens. She put it by the wash basin to be cleaned and greeted the staff in a chipper tone. They returned the greeting and she left. She began to make her way back to the room she was using to plan the wedding in. As she walked up the stairs, she had to pause to catch her breath. She leaned against the wall, trying to regulate her breathing.

 _The sooner I finish planning, the sooner I can leave._ She told herself. _The sooner I leave, the sooner I can get medical treatment._

~!~

It wasn't until it was almost noon that Robin was interrupted. A knock on the door pulled her from her studying the medical habits of the Plegians. She closed the book quickly and put several others on top of it. Turning her chair around to face the door, she called out, "Come in."

"Good afternoon." The greeting was in total synchronization by Chrom and Sumia. They looked at each other and smiled.

Robin tugged on her ponytail, tightening it. She glanced between the two and gestured for them to sit at the table in the center of the room. "You talked it over, then?"

Sumia sat down at the table, but Chrom remained standing. She nodded. "Yes, we talked it over. When Chrom brought up engagement ball after you told him, I thought it was a great idea! When did you say that you wanted to have it?"

"I had Maribelle and Lissa help me out today and we double-checked with everyone. Monday would be alright, but Friday seems to work the best out of any night available though." Robin picked up a sheet of parchment off of her desk. She ran her finger down the page and nodded again. "Yes, Friday works the best."

Robin set down the guest list and grabbed the color scheme. "I was thinking maybe a pale lavender and silver for the colors? Although, gold wouldn't be bad. Even a pale orange may go well. Oh- And for decorations, I was thinking we could do flowers and change the curtains? I figured we could choose the main color for the curtains and then use the contrasting color to be the flowers. I'm not sure though. There's also the tables, and the table cloths, and the seating arrangements, if we choose to have them and- and-"

" _Breathe_ , Robin." Sumia laughed and the tactician took a deep breath.

"Sorry, I just got excited." She replied sheepishly.

"It's fine, but be sure to breathe." The Pegasus Knight giggled. "Anyways, I'm really impressed with how much you've thought out. When did you start thinking about the engagement ball?"

"This morning." She shrugged.

Sumia's eyes went wide. "Damn, you're a great planner."

"The very best." Robin looked over at Chrom, who was watching her with an expression that made her flush. She didn't know what was in his eyes that made her blush, but there was something there. Something tender and gentle.

"Oh, um, well, I'm not that good." She fumbled, reaching out to grab something off of her desk. "You both have dance lessons tomorrow and then, you have to get your outfits for the ball tailored. Here are some of the designs that Levvia gave me."

She passed the journal to Sumia. "Go ahead and both of you take a look. There are several unique ones that I think both of you will like."

Chrom groaned. "Great. Clothing."

Sumia and Robin both laughed and leaned together over the journal. "Let's get started."

~!~

They ended up deciding on the colors silver and lavender, like Robin had suggested in the first place. They had both also picked their outfits for the ball on Friday. The ideas for decorations had been settled, and Robin had picked the musicians and promised she would finish the rest of the planning for the two.

She stood from her seat and stretched. "My goodness, look at the time. It's already time for supper."

"Is it really?" Sumia asked, standing as well. "Wow, we were having so much fun, I suppose I lost track of time."

Robin smiled and the girls' eyes met. They both burst into giggles. Chrom looked back and forth between them. "What? Am I missing something?"

That only made the two laugh harder. Robin was laughing so hard she had to sit back down in her chair. Both of the girls' giggles turned into breathless hiccups. It took them several minutes to calm down because every time they looked at each other, the cycle would begin all over again.

"What that about?" Chrom asked when they both had finally calmed down.

"Let's say it's a girl thing." Sumia grinned. A long silence settled into the room after that. Robin looked over to the window where the sun was starting to set. Her gaze drifted over to Chrom, who was looking at Sumia. Quickly, she looked away by scanning the room. She really needed to organize it.

Robin drummed her fingers on her leg and looked around a bit more. The silence choked the air out of her lungs and she was desperate to break it, but there wasn't anything for her to say. They had already gone over everything they needed to, and there wasn't anything left that she couldn't decide on her own.

Her throat felt tight and her fingers curled into fists. A wave of dizziness crashed into her, even though she was sitting. Her head spun and she had to close her eyes to keep the room from doing the same. Robin took a deep breath and raised her hand to brush through her hair. She took down her ponytail and wove her hands through the silver-blue locks. Carefully, she put it back how it had been before glancing between the betrothed couple again.

Finally, someone broke the silence. That someone happened to be Chrom. "We should probably get some dinner, don't you think?"

Robin and Sumia both nodded. Robin stood up and followed Sumia and Chrom to the door. Her head was spinning and she threw an arm out for support as everything started to spin. She swore internally and attempted to orient herself. She took another step forward, but her legs crumpled beneath her. Her body fell to the stone floor as everything went black.

~!~

Everything was dark. Robin's mind spun as she tried to orient her thoughts before opening her eyes. Her fingers twitched against something soft and it occurred to her that she was laying on a bed. Warmth spread through her toes and all the way up to her face as voices filled her ears.

"Will she be okay?" A feminine voice came from her left and was soft, almost timid. It was familiar, but Robin couldn't quite remember who it belonged to.

There was a sigh. "She should be fine. She just seems to be exhausted."

The words all seemed to blur in Robin's mind, though she was somehow able to understand. Her eyes weighed down against her as she attempted to open them. Nodding internally, she let them stay closed. It was too much effort to open them.

"Is… is that really all? How did she become so exhausted so quickly?"

"Well, though stress can disturb sleep, I highly doubt it's from work. Do you know if she's getting any sleep?"

A third voice chipped in. "No."

"How do you know that, Chrom?" The feminine voice turned a bit harsher than before.

The gentle sweep of fingers across Robin's forehead brought her comfort as she listened to the conversation. "I've… ran into her more than once in the middle of the night."

"What? When? What happened? What do you mean by 'the middle of the night?'"

"Sumia, that's enough. Give Chrom a moment to explain." That was a voice that registered in her mind as Ricken.

A silence fell over the room and Chrom took a deep breath. "There was a night, a few days ago, that I couldn't sleep. I thought a walk through the courtyard might help me relax. Robin was outside as well, sitting in the grass. She looked unnaturally pale, but I had thought it was just the moonlight. Figuring we could both use some company, I sat down next to her and we talked for a while. She told me I should go inside and get some sleep."

His voice went into a trance as though he wasn't paying attention to his words, but speaking his thoughts. With what little consciousness she had, Robin prayed he wouldn't say something that he would regret. "I haven't been sleeping much this past week or so and every night I can't, I see her outside in the courtyard. Most times, Robin isn't even aware of my presence. But I always see her. She's been acting so strange ever since…"

"Since what, Chrom?" Ricken asked.

There was a stiff silence to follow it. _This is bad._ was the only thing that Robin could think. Sumia didn't seemed too pleased with the silence either. "Since what, Chrom?"

Chrom cleared his throat. "Do you remember when I went to visit her after she was in the rain and got sick? You visited her before me?"

 _Sumia visited me? She's such a sweet person._

"Well, she woke up and told me that I should go to bed. She insisted that she could handle herself for the rest of the night. I refused and she got of bed. She's so stubborn." There was a slight laugh in his voice. "I picked her up and put her back in bed, and she pulled me down with her. We tussled for a bit, but something happened in the middle of it."

"Oh, Chrom." Ricken sighed.

"Wait- Are you telling me that you-" Sumia cut herself off.

"Sumia, I promise you it was an accident. She was delirious with fever, I'm not sure she even remembers. I'm certain that if she does remember, she regrets it as much as I do."

"I-I-" Sumia's voice was soaked in different emotions. "I'm not sure what to say."

A new voice spoke up from the back of the room. "I truly believe it was an accident, darling. Robin would never dare to kiss a betrothed man, and Chrom would never intentionally betray your trust."

"Maribelle? When did you-" Ricken was cut off.

"You must have been distracted. I've been in here the whole time."

There was a pause. "Right. Well. My diagnosis is most likely insomnia."

"Insomnia?" Multiple people spoke at the same time.

""Insomnia is the inability to obtain an adequate amount or quality of sleep. The difficulty can be in falling asleep, remaining asleep, or both. People with insomnia do not feel refreshed when they wake up." _That sounded like something out of a book, Ricken. So intelligent…_

"Oh."

Robin finally managed to force her eyes open. As she did, she released a soft groan. Four sets of eyes turned to her, but she first looked to only one. Chrom. After, she averted his gaze and instead, met Ricken's worried eyes. He stood above her and squeezed her hand, once, twice. "Nn… Where… Where am I?"

"The infirmary." Chrom spoke in a soft tone.

"Why?" Robin's voice croaked. She moved to sit up, but Ricken stopped her. He lifted her slowly and propped her up to lean against her pillows.

"You collapsed right as we were heading to eat supper." Her gaze moved to Sumia who was watching her with concerned eyes.

"Oh."

Ricken looked over at Chrom and Sumia. Alarms started to go off in Robin's mind. "You two go eat some supper. Mira and I can take care of Robin. She'll be fine."

Chrom seemed reluctant to go, but when Sumia grabbed his arm, he went along willingly. As soon as the infirmary door shut, Ricken whipped around to look at her. He pointed a finger. "You lied to me."

"I didn't lie to you." Robin managed.

"But you didn't tell me the truth, either! It's called lying by omission, Robin." He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Why didn't you tell me you were still sick?"


End file.
